The invention relates to an auxiliary dump box accessory for a truck configured with a conventional flatbed bale loader.
A given flatbed bale loader typically has two opposed grappling or loader arms mounted at the rear for lifting and loading large cylindrical bales of hay onto the flatbed. The loader arms are generally driven by hydraulics or the like both to and away from each other for grabbing and releasing a given bale of hay. The loader arms are also configured with hydraulic drives for sweeping an overhead arc clockwise or counterclockwise between a storage position in which the arms are docked against the flatbed during non-use, and various extended or use positions during loading and unloading maneuvers.
An auxiliary dump box accessory in accordance with the invention gives a conventional flatbed bale loader an alternative purpose besides its basic bale loading utility, by effectively converting it and the underlying truck into a dump truck. A number of additional features and objects will be apparent in connection with the following discussion of preferred embodiments and examples.